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MEMOIR 



Gen. EDWARD AUGUSTUS WILD, 

H. U. 1844. 'i. 



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MEMOIR 



Gen. EDWARD AUGUSTUS WILD 



H. U. 1844. 



BY 



BRADFORD KINGMAN. 



BOSTON: 
PRIVATELY PRINTED. 

1 895. 






[Reprinted from the N. E. Historical and Genealogical Register for October, 1895.] 

/6- 



D. Clapp & Son, Printers. 






Sdf/.^' nTs. 



GENERAL EDWARD AUGUSTUS WILD. 



Gen. Edwaeu Augustus Wild, the son of Dr. Charles and 
Mary Joanna (Rhodes) Wild, was the second son and third child 
of his parents; born in Brooklinc, Norfolk County, Mass., Novem- 
ber 25, 1825. At the time of his birth his father had entered upon 
a successful career in medical practice, having graduated from the 
Harvard Medical College in Boston. In 1818 he took up his resi- 
dence in Brookline, at that day a small but thrifty farming commu- 
nity. At first he became an inmate of the family of a jNIrs. Croft, 
on Washington street, w^ho, upon finding the young doctor was suc- 
cessful in his profession, gave him about two acres of land on the 
south side of the same street on which she resided, and nearly oppo- 
site her residence, on which he immediately erected a dwelling- 
house, it being the elegant ground and mansion adjoining on the 
east, the well-known " George Baty Blake estate." Here he con- 
tinued in practice for about forty years, when the same passed into 
the hands of Dea. William Lincoln, and later to Stephen D. Ben- 
nett, Esq., and now owned by the heirs of Arthur H. Blake. 

It w^as on this beautiful spot, lavished by nature with beauty, and 
cultivated by man, that the subject of our sketch, whose name is at 
the head of this article, first saw the light of day. His early youth 
was passed under the influence of a christian home and careful train- 
ing, and, not unlike many others in his day, brought up to habits 
of industry, attending such schools as the town aftbrded, and the 
classical school on Boylston street. He fitted for college under the 
private instruction of Dr. Samuel Rogers of Roxbury ; entered Har- 
vard College in 1840, graduated in 1844, having among his class- 
mates the following persons : John Call Dalton, Professor of Phy- 
siology and Fellow of the American Academy ; Benjamin Apthorp 
Gould, LL.D., Professor of Astronomy ; Francis Parkman, LL.D., 
Historian; Hon, Leverett Saltonstall, the late Collector of the port 
of Boston; Prof. Daniel D. Slade, LL.B., now Professor of 
Zoology at Harvard College, and his friend Tappan Eustis Francis, 
M.D., of Brookline. 

He received the degree of A.B. in due course, and A.M. in 1847 ; 
studied medicine with his father and in the office of Benjamin Eddy 



Cotting, M.D., of Roxbmy, also at the Harvard Medical College 
in Boston. He also took a course of medical study at Jefferson 
College, Philadelphia, Pa., where he received the degree of M.D. 

He began the practice of his profession in Brookline in 1847, and 
became a member of the Massachusetts Medical Society May 23, 
1850. Aiming at the highest honors in his profession, he crossed 
the Atlantic in 1848 to visit the schools of Europe, attending lec- 
tures and the practice of hospitals in Paris. AVhile there he started 
on a pedestrianizing tour through Italy and Switzerland. Italy at 
that time was torn with a threefold war ; Rome was contending 
against Naples ; then came the invasion and occupation of Rome 
(which had then been temporarily a Republic), while the north of 
Italy was in active turmoil and strife against the Austrians. At the 
Romano-Neapolitan frontier Dr. Wild was arrested and closely 
searched by the troops on both sides of the line, each taking him 
for a spy for the opposite side. 

At Terracina he was taken before Garibaldi, then in command, 
who very quickly discerned his true character and liberated him. 
At Forli in the Romagna he was arrested as an Austrian spy, 
mobbed and roughly maltreated, and had a fortunate escape with 
his life. On Lake Garda he was arrested at midnight as a robber, 
and up the River Po seized as a deserter from the Austrian army, 
and had many other exciting experiences, some neither safe nor 
agreeable. The experience he met with during this excursion gave 
him the first ideas of the horrors of war and the destructive effects 
of battles and bombardments. 

On the first day of January, 1850, Dr. Wild returned to Brook- 
line and resumed the practice of his profession as a homoeopathic 
physician, where, with his enlarged experience and superior qualifi- 
cations, he soon displayed proofs of the maturity of his talents. 
Here he continued till June 12, 1855, at which time he united in 
marriage Avith Frances Ellen, daughter of John Whiting and Marian 
(Dix) Sullivan of Boston, and upon learning of a declaration of 
war in the Crimea he immediately takes his bridal tour, sailing 
direct for Constantinople. Immediately upon his arrival at that 
port he tendered his services to the Turkish Government, and re- 
ceived a commission as (Hekimbashi) Surgeon of Artillery, with 
the rank and pay of lieutenant-colonel, and assumed the name of 
" Kholoussy Bey." In the course of his professional duties he vis- 
ited the ports of Samsoun, Sinoub (Sinope), Trebizond, Batoum, 
Redout Kaleh (Kemhal), Kaleh. 

He was attached to the army corps of Omar Pasha, Commander- 
in-Chief of the Turkish forces in tlie field, and passed the winter 
near Sokhoum in the foot hills of the Caucasus, occupying the hos- 
pital buildings captured from the Russians. After peace was 
arranged he continued in charge of extensive hospitals for several 
months at Trebizond, where were gathered the numerous sick and 



disabled, the residuum of the war. On leaving the service, in addi- 
tion to the war medal (Sefer ^.ishani) he received from the Sultan 
Abdul ]Medjid the decoration of the Medjidieh, with its accompanying 
Berat (diploma), together with an autograph letter from Omar 
Pasha, recommending him for that high honor. 

After a long tarry at Constantinople, Dr. Wild, accompanied by 
his Avife, visited Trebizond and the banks of the Bosphorus, and 
the gulf of Nicomedia (Isnikmid), the islands in the INIarmora 
(Prinkipo), and the Troad. Keturning homeward he visited 
Greece and the Isles of the Archipelago, stopping at Malta (where 
he was initiated into Free JNIasonry, taking three degrees in " St. 
John's Lodge"), Sicily, and a long time in Italy,, in 1857. 

Immediately upon his arrival home he resumed the practice of 
his profession, in which he was successful, and was fast growing in 
popularity, giving to the public the benefits of an extended experi- 
ence in military hospitals, as w^ell as the more complete study of 
medicine in the hospitals at Paris. 

For ten years prior to the breaking out of the war of rebellion. 
Dr. Wild had a natural fondness for military drill and had been an 
active member of the Independent Corps of Cadets in Boston, and 
had never missed a single drill. When the demand came from the 
government for men to assist in protecting our country from the 
assaults on the liberties of the people, the doctor Avas not only fully 
prepared, but he commenced to prepare others for actual service in 
the field. 

Dr. Wild was a highly intelligent gentleman, and had a full 
appreciation of what must ensue at an early date. A full company 
was raised, of men mostly from Brookline and Jamaica Plain, 
through the efforts and instrumentality of Dr. Wild, who was com- 
missioned as captain of the same by Governor John A. Andrew, 
May 22, 1861. In this service the captain was assisted by the 
untiring zeal and patriotism of two of Brookline's noble young men 
who were fired with military ardor, and these three men did the 
country valiant service. AVe need only mention the names of the 
two who assisted in recruiting men for the army — Col. William L. 
Candler, who received a first lieutenant's commission May 25, 
1861 ; and Col. Charles L. Chandler, a second lieutenant's com- 
mission on the same day. The last named became a captain in the 
Thirty-fourth Regiment August 6, 1862, lieutenant-colonel of For- 
tieth Regiment January 24, 1864, and of the Fifty-seventh Regi- 
ment April 20, 1864. Lieut. Col. Chandler, Avhile in battle near 
Hanover Court House, fell mortally w^ounded May 24, 1864, and 
was kindly cared for by Col. Harris of the Twelfth Mississippi 
Regiment, and was buried near the scene of action. The Grand 
Army Post of Brookline perpetuates the name of Col. Charles L. 
Chandler by naming the same in his honor, Avhile the other gi-and 
soldier, Col. Candler, merited the Avarmest praise and the regards of 



6 

his countrymen for his various and arduous services to his country. 
He became a cok)nel and member of the staff of the famous General 
Joscpli Hooker, with whom he was on the most intimate terms of 
friendship. 

The company above mentioned was entitled Company A, and 
formed a part of the First Massachusetts Regiment of Volunteers, 
and was the first company and the first regiment of the three years' 
troops from the loyal states to go to the seat of war. The head- 
quarters of this regiment at first Avas in Faneuil Hall, Boston, from 
May 25 to June 1, 1861, when they removed to " Camp Ellsworth," 
in Cambridge, and afterwards, June 13, again removed to "Camp 
Cameron," and on the following day received orders to march. 

The Brookline company were all ready for service, and anxiously 
waiting for orders. 

On the afternoon of June 15, 1861, the regiment took up its 
line of march for Boston with the thermometer at 80 degrees, the 
men dressed in thick soldiers' uniforms. The scene on the com- 
mon in Boston on that memorable day, is still vivid in the minds of 
thousands of persons who were present ; the parting of friends, the 
shaking of hands, and the farcAvell, make it seem as almost of 
yesterday; now the drum calls, every ear attends. The regiment 
marches to the Providence Railroad station, where Alderman Pray 
presents them with a handsome national banner in behalf of the 
citizens of Boston. At nine o'clock p.m. seventeen finely decorated 
passenger cars with four baggage cars, drawn by two powerful loco- 
motives, started on their journey amid the wildest enthusiasm. At 
Providence, they were saluted and welcomed by a detachment of 
the Marine Artillery. Arriving at Groton, Conn., they embarked 
on the steamer "Commonwealth." Here the guns of "Fort Trum- 
bull" poured forth their welcome. Arriving at Jersey City on 
Sunday afternoon, they proceeded to the seat of war, passing 
through Baltimore on the 17th of June, being the first regiment 
that had passed through that city since the attack on the Sixth Regi- 
ment the 19th of April previous. At twelve o'clock on the 21st of 
June, the regiment formed in column and marched up the Avenue 
and were reviewed by President Lincoln, and went into " Camp 
Banks" on the Potomac. On the 17th of July, the regiment 
formed a part of the Army of Virginia and were in advance, to 
attack the enemy. After being engaged in the battles of Bull Run 
and Williamsburgh, and several lesser combats, including the siege 
of Yorktown, Captain Wild was permanently disabled by a bullet, 
in the right hand which was badly shattered, in the battle of " Seven 
Pines," on the field of Fair Oaks, Va., June 25, 1862. Returning 
to Massachusetts, he could not remain idle ; the fire of patriotism 
was still bvu'ning within him, and in a short time he reported for 
duty. He was ])laced in command of "Camp Stanton," a camp of 
recruits at Lynnfield, Mass., and while there was promoted by regu- 



lar grades to Colonel of the Thirty-fifth Massachusetts Regiment of 
Volunteers, August 20, 1862. Only two days later, there having 
been a demand for fresh troops at Washington, he returned to the 
Capitol, with his arm in a sling from his wounds, at the head of his 
regiment. His fine appearance on horseback, as he passed through 
the streets of Boston, is well remembered by the writer. Nothing 
of particidar interest occurred on the journey from Boston to the 
seat of war, except the following incident at Philadelphia, which 
we give from the Colonel's own repoi't to the Governor of Massa- 
chusetts : 

" In the immediate neighborhood of the Union Vohinteer Kefreshment 
Saloon, where we were supplied with a meal by the hospitality of the citi- 
zens, there are a large number of drinking shops, which have been a pest 
to every regiment passing through. I personally ordered the proprietor of 
each establishment to sell no liquor to my men, warning him of consequences ; 
at the same time setting a guard at his door. Soon after, detecting them 
enticing men in at back doors, to drink and fill canteens, I ordered the 
stock to be cleaned out at two places, a hotel and a saloon. The order 
was summarily and thoroughly carried out by my men. No serious per- 
sonal violence was committed, although we had occasion to overawe a large 
party of Zouaves and other bullies. The police followed me with two 
writs of arrest, which I declined to accede to ; but warned them that, if they 
caused us any delay, I should be obliged to take aldermen and all with me 
to Washington. All this, not from any wanton disrespect for municipal 
law, but on the ground that, in time of armed rebellion, the exigencies of 
the military service must take precedence of all else." 

Nothing was ever heard from this afterward, although the Colonel 
was followed to Washington. In three weeks' time he was in front 
of the enemy, in Major General Burnside's Corps, and engaged in 
a fierce battle at South Mountain. At half past four in the after- 
noon, September 14, 1862, he was ordered to clear the extensive 
forest of sharpshooters, a very rough ground. While engaged in 
this work, they were unexpectedly attacked upon a position held by 
their brigade, in the dusk of the evening. It was here that Colonel 
Wild lost his left arm by the explosion of a shell, badly shattering 
the same, Avhich was amputated at the shoulder, after three surgical 
operations. On that day, and three days later, his new regiment 
distinguished itself by their steady bravery, worthy of veteran 
troops. General Schouler writes: "Few, if any, surpass the 
Thirty-fifth Regiment, especially in its officers." 

When Colonel Wild had partially recovered from the loss of his 
arm, he returned home, December 1, 1862, and while recovering 
from his Avounds assisted Governor Andrew in organizing colored 
troops, the pioneer work in that line. On the 24th of April, 1863, 
he was appointed by President Lincoln a Brigadier General of 
Volunteers, and soon after proceeded to North Carolina, Avhere he 
raised a brigade of colored troops from among the fugitive slaves 



in that department, having his headquarters at Newberne : and it is 
needless to say he was entirely successful in organizing his " Corps 
D'Afrique," known as " Wild's African Brigade." While there he 
gave much time and labor to the care and permanent provision of 
the colored families by colonizing. On the 30th of July the General 
took a large number of raw colored troops to South Carolina, where 
they did valuable and valiant service in the siege of Charleston. 
Three months later, leaving his troops at Charleston, he returned to 
his recruiting work at Newberne, N. C, also in Virginia, Jan. 18, 
1864. General Wild was placed in command of the district of 
Norfolk and Portsmouth, which, besides his military labors, involved 
large civil duties in the government of those two cities as Governor, 
filled as they were with a hostile population. 

Upon the opening of the campaign, in the spring of 1864, he 
early in May joined the Army of the James, in command of his 
colored troops, where he continued, participating in the siege against 
Petersburgh and Richmond until their fall. 

During the last three months he was in command of a division 
containing three brigades of infantry, besides cavalry and artillery, 
heavy and light — this being a portion of the Twenty-fifth Army 
Corps, composed wdiolly of colored troops. 

On the 3d of April, 1865, he entered Richmond at the head of 
his troops, as " Jeff" Davis went out ; many of the slaves originally 
recruited by the General being the first to enter those sacred pre- 
cincts. At the close of the warlike operations, he served in the 
Freedman's Bureau in Georgia, and was finally mustered out of 
the United States Service, January 15, 1866. 

The General finding himself too much crippled to return to the 
practice of his former profession, he turned his attention to mining, 
his experience and travels embracing the fields of Nevada, Cali- 
fornia, Utah, Colorado, and Lake Superior (Canada side). 

It is due to General Wild to say that when he first enlisted into 
the "Army, he enjoyed the highest esteem and confidence of all who 
were acquainted with him in his Massachusetts home. Particularly 
did he enjoy the confidence of Governor Andrew, who was a warm 
personal friend, during the Rebellion. When he entered the service, 
his experiences in the Turkish army were of great value to him. 
The General was of an impulsive nature, full of patriotism and 
intense enthusiasm, and gave his entire powers to the service. His 
record confirms all the statements made, and one who knew him 
intimately says of him, that "His bravery was only paralleled 
by his almost womanly modesty." No better evidence of the truth 
of the above statements, and of his bravery, than at "Wilson's 
Wharf" on the James river, Virginia. While in the command of an 
important outpost at the above locality, he was surrounded by a 
greatly superior force of cavalry under the command of Major 
General Fitz Hugh Lee, and was summoned to surrender, in the 
following lan<2;uao"e r 



" By command of Major-General Fitz Hugh Lee, I am sent to demand a 
surrender of the Federal troops at Wilson's wharf. He (General Lee) 
thinks he has troojis enough to carry tlie position. Should they surrender 
they will he turned over to the authorities at Richmond and treated as 
prisoners of war. Should they refuse, General Lee will not be responsible 
for the consequences. 

Very respectfully your obt. servt., 

R. J. Mason, Major and A. A. G. 
To Brig.-General Wild, commanding Federal troops." 

The reply of General Wild was returned, in the following laconic 
manner : 

"We will try it. — Edw. A. Wild, Brig.-Gen. Vols" 

And try it they did, and the Union Army was victorious, saving 
an important position to the " Army of the James." The firmness 
and equanimity of the mind of the General was one of his leading 
characteristics. Fear did not enter his mind to prevent him from 
carrying out his purposes ; indeed it has been often said of him that 
he did not know the definition of the term. His mind was ever on 
the duty to be performed, and stopped not to weigh the risk attend- 
ing the same. He had the greatest disregard of self, and was of a 
vivacious turn, enlivening all company into which he entered, which 
rendered his society peculiarly welcome to both sexes. Kindness 
beamed in his countenance, and benevolence warmed his heart. He 
was ever kind, courteous and affable, and in his profession the high- 
est motive of his mind was to relieve the suffering of humanity by 
his skill, and every duty was performed with delicacy, as well as 
with tendeAess. His friendship was firm and confiding. In his 
tastes simple, and averse to all hollow pretensions and ceremonial 
observances. He was a good scholar and distinguished as a mathe- 
matician, and a favorite in his class. He was especially fond of 
music, and helped to furnish the music on the big bass viol in the 
church choir, as well as taking a deep interest in band music. 

After the General had lost his arm at the battle of South Moun- 
tain, twenty of his college class presented him with an elegant dress 
sword of the regulation pattern, elegantly chased and gilded, with 
gold cord and tassels, in a shark skin sheath; and, in furtherance 
of a lasting and more durable testimonial of the regard for their 
late classmate, his class have caused to be placed in Memorial Hall 
at Harvard a beautiful medallion in bronze, commemorative of the 
battles in which he had been engaged : — " In memory of Edward 
A. Wild, Brigadier General U. S. V. A Faithfuf and Gallant 
Soldier in the War which Preserved the Union and Destroyed Sla- 
very. B. Xov. 2b, 1825. D. Aug. 28, 1891. Bearing wounds 
received at Williamsburgh, Fair Oaks and South Mountain, His 
Classmates H. U. 1844 erect this Tablet.— ^^ Facere, Et Pati 
For liter:' 



10 

Those who remember General Wikl as a citizen reofarded him as 
one of strict integrity, a manly and good man. Says one who knew 
him well, and was his neighbor, companion and friend : 

" He was a marked and original character, true to his convictions on all 
occasions, the personification of devotion to principle, a man of faith ; he 
would have died a martyr for an}' cause he believed in and espoused. He 
was a leader of men, and called about him kindred spirits in his devotion 
to freedom and his country." 

Not only was the General a good and brave soldier, but the ex- 
ample to his men was of the best. Prominent among his many 
good qualities was that of enforcing principles of abstinence from 
the use of intoxicating liquor. In this he set an example by his own 
entire disuse of liquor of any kind. During his whole service in 
the United States Army he never touched any intoxicants, even to 
a glass of cider or beer. 

Those to whom his words of comfort and cheer in the hours of 
sickness have done so much, remember him with the kindest affec- 
tion, while those under whose care they were as soldiers in the 
army all unite to speak of him in the warmest terms as a brave and 
ffood officer. 

]Much might be said of his liumorous, attractive, and many social 
qualities, of his fondness for having a good time with all whicli that 
term ap[)lies. Having no bad habits, he Avas much sought after 
when there Avas any fun for the boys and young men. He Avas 
always present at the lively times, and never Avas happier than 
AAdien he could " run Avith the machine " to a fire ; and when there 
was a conflagration in the village, and he Avas not there, it Avas 
because he Avas not at home ; or, if there Avas a Avedding, he felt it 
his duty to help in cheering the ncAvly-married couple by a serenade. 

General Wild, after leaving the mining operations in Avhich he 
had been engaged, Avas invited to join a party of exploration, and 
left New York on the first day of July, 1891, for the South Ameri- 
can States, having in \ iew the development of that country, and 
incidentally to build a railroad from Magdellena River to the city of 
Medillin. In this enterprise the tropical climate and the excessive 
heat were too much for one used to our northern clime, and espe- 
cially at his time of life. His residence south AA^as short, being less 
than a month, and on the 28th of August, 1891, he passed over the 
river, amid warm and loving friends, although aAvay from his home, 
AA'ho did all that could have been to cheer and help him in his last 
hours. Personal and official services Avere freely tendered at his 
decease by the American Vice Consul, the GoA^ernor and other 
officers of State, Avell knoAving that they Avere doing honor to a 
good man and a gallant officer. He Avas buried Avith military and 
masonic honors, under a military escort, and the funeral rites were 
performed amid a large concourse of friends, including the Governor 



w 




GRAVE OF GENERAL EDWARD A. WILD 
at Medellin, Columbia, South America. 



11 

and officers of the State, who paid the honor due to his station. 
Kind friends laid wreaths and garlands on his coffin, and thus the 
last tribute of respect and regard for a distinguished man was paid, 
and we can only regret that our old friend, citizen, physician, cap- 
tain, colonel, and general, could not have ended his last hours near 
the early associations of his life. He now rests in quiet seclusion 
at Medellin, Columbia, South America. 

"He who gives liis life for his country gives his own but for a liiglier 
life." 



FAMILY RECORD. 

Dr. Charles Wild, the father of Gen. Wild, was born in Roston, January 
15, 1795, the son of Abraham and Susanna (Pituian) Wild, of g^ood Eng.- 
lish stock, fitted for college in the Latin School of his native town, where 
he received a "Franklin medal" in 1805, entered Harvard College in 
1811, graduating in the memorable class of 1814, of whom William' II. 
Prescott, the historian. President Walker of Harvard College, Hon. Pliny 
Merrick, late Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts? and 
other equally prominent men, were members. Received the degree of A.M. . 
and M.D. in 1817. Graduated at the Harvard Medical School in Boston, 
April 10, 1818, and removed to Brookline where he resided for over forty 
years, a highly esteemed citizen as well as phys^ician. He married, December 
29, 1819, Mary Joanna Rhodes of North Providence, R. I. 
Children : 

i. Charles William, born June 10, 1822, married Mary Aramihta Scales- 

of San Francisco, Cal. 
ii. SusAXXA Seraphina, born December 17, 1823, married Geori>e .Vu— 

gustus Wood of Pliiladelphia, Pa., March ;22,' 1848. 
iii. Edward Augustus, born November 25, 1825v married Fi'ances Ellen,. 

daughter of John Whiting and Marian (Dix) Sullivan of Boston). 

Mass, June 12, 1855. 
iv. Laura Matilda, born January 23, 1828, married Rev.. Joseph HI . 

rhipps of Franiiughara, Mass., January 1, 1849,' and Avas a resident;!. 

of Kingston, Mass, 
V. Mary Heath, born May 6, 1820, married Edward Jiirvis Gushingcof*" 

North Providence, r'. I., May 22, 1850. 
vi. Catherine Wheaton, born July 26, 1832; died November 12 ■ 1882J. 
vii. Emily Caroline, born July 14, 1834, died September 18; 1835j 
viii. Walter Henry, born June 19, 1836, married Hel6ni M. Conkling of 

Springfield, Mass., 1866. He enlisted in the First Rhode Island!; 

Battery, April 21, 1861. After various promotions as- Lieutenanti: 

and Captain in the Second North Carolina Colored' Volluiteers,. 

afterwards the Thirty-sixth United States Colored Volunteers, he 

was appointed aide-de-camp on General Edward A. Wild'ci Staff, 

May 14, 1863, continuing on his stall', and was detailed A. Ai..Oen., 

December 25, 1863. 
ix. Lydia Greene, boru May 27, 1840, died August 6, 1840. 

The father died at North Providence, R. I., February 3, 1864. 




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